Railway tie plate



April 19, 1932. w 1,854,497

RAILWAY TIE PLATE Filed May 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Th Q g. I z

. I I I v I I I z 5 1 \1 r I a I g 5 for: 6603:76 7'. 21/: ZZard,

April 19, 1932. G. T. WILLARD RAILWAY TIE PLATE Filed May 22, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 2 4 I Q x J Patented Apr. 19, 1932 warren sr GEORGE T.WILLARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RAILWAY TIE PLATE Application filed May22, 1931. Serial No. 539,202.

This invention relates to railway tie plates. The main object of theinvention is to produce, in combination with a tie plate on which therail is non-fixedly or yieldingly held to permit wave motion of the railunder loads without injury to the track, means for temporarilyestablishing a rigid connection be tween rail and plate for the purposeof allowing the track to be raised by lifting or jacking up of the railwithout distorting or otherwise injuring the yielding connecting means.Tie plates in common use at present are provided with a plurality ofspike holes located adjacent the edges of the rail flanges when the railis in position on the plate, through which spikes are driven into thetie, the heads of the spikes which attach the plate to the tiefunctioning also to hold the rail on the plate by engaging the edges ofthe rail flanges. The wave motion of the rail under load usually pullsthe spikes upwardly, resulting in loosening the plate from the tie andconsequent mechanical wear and necessity for respiking. On the otherhand, if the connection between rail and plate and between plate and tieis a firm, rigid connection, the wave motion of the rail lifts the plateand tie from the ballast, which is highly objectionable.

To overcome the objections just referred to I have designed variousforms of plates provided with rail retaining devices for nonfixedly oryieldingly connecting the rail to the plate, by the use ofwhich wavemotion of the rail may take place without disturbing the connectionbetween the plate and tie and without lifting of the plate and tie fromthe ballast. These constructions form the subject of my co-pendingapplication filed May 22, 1931, Serial No. 532,201. 7 v

The subject of the present invention, namely the means for temporarilyestablishing a rigid connection between rail and plate, may be embodiedin the various forms of plates -which are shown in said co-pendingapplication, only some of which have been shown in the drawings of thepresent application. Changes in details of plate constructions and ofrail retaining devices may be made without departing from the scope ofthis invention.

Plates embodying the invention may be made of rolled steel, cast steelor cast iron and may be secured to thetie with cut spikes, screw-spikesor bolts or both out spikes and screw spikes or bolts.

I have chosen to embody the various forms of my invention in tieplates'provided with flat tie bearing surfacesbut obviously the bottommay be provided with transversely disposed ribs or with reinforcedportions 50 located at the stress points under the'rail flange edges, orboth, and the reinforced portion may be provided with a short ribdepending from the reinforced or thickened portion and extendinglongitudinally thereof and parallel with the rail edges. Any desiredbottom construction may be'used but I prefer to embody my invention inplates wherein all ribs and reinforcing members on the plate bottom areformed with rounded non-fiber cutting edges.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of one-half of a tie plate embodying my invention,showing part of a rail in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of theinvention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line k4: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1, showing another modification ofthe invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing another modification of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the plate of Fig. 7, showing therail retaining devices in elevation.

In the drawings, the rail flange is indicated at 10, the tie plate at 11and the tie at 12. A shim 13 made of treated compressed wood or fibermay be used between the rail andthe plate. The plate 11 is provided onits rail bearing surface with a pair of transversely extending spacedapart shoulders 14, one at each side of the rail flangelO and preferably located adjacent to and parallel with the edges of the rail. herail supporting surface between the shoulders 14 is shown as flat andcanted but it may be provided with weight reducing grooves extendingtransversely of the plate and it may be cambered, or cambered andgrooved, as desired.

Each shoulder 14 is provided wih a flange 15 formed on its upperportion. This flange 15 may be a horizontally disposed flange as shownin Figs. 1 "to 4 inclusive or maybe turned down into hook form.

A rail retaining device for non-fixedly or yieldingly holding the railon the plate is associated with the shoulder 14-15, the same comprisinga plate and shoulder engaging member 16 having an arm 17 overhanging therail flange 10. The arm 17 fits over the top of the flange 15 and adepending rib 18 extends across the rail retaining device parallel withand located slightly above the rail flange 10. Toward its free end thearm 17 is grooved in its lower surface as indicated by the dotted line19, the groove extending parallel with the rail and being adapted toaccommodate a spring 20, the median portion of which bears against thegrooved surface of the arm 17 and the ends 21 of which bear on the rail10, by which rail creeping is retarded.

Normally the space between the surface 18 and the rail flange 10 permitswave motion of the rail to take place without disturbing the position ofthe plate 11 or loosening the spikes or bolts by which the plate may befastened to the tie 12, and without lifting the plate and tie from theballast. However, when it is desired to raise the track, that is, toraise the rail, plate and tie, as a unit, by jacking up the rail betweenthe ties, it is highly desirable to eliminate the space between the railretaining device and the rail flange and to convert the yieldingconnection between rail and plate into a rigid nonyielding connection.This result I accomplish by inserting a wedge 21 between the part 18 andrail flange 10. The wedge may be an ordinary cut spike or other suitabledevice which may be easily removed when it is desired to restore thetrack to normal position.

The rail retaining device 16 is preferably provided with astud 22adapted to be forced into the recess 23 in the shoulder flange '15 toprevent movement of the device longitudinally ofthe shoulder 14.

In Figs. 3 and 4, parts similar to those just described have beendesignated by the same numbers. In this modification the overhanging arm17 is not grooved and the spring 20 has been eliminated. The space 24between the rail flange 10 and the lower surface 25 of the arm 17normally permits wave motion of the rail to take place without looseningthe plate from the tie or lifting the plate and tie from the ballast,and when it is desired to raise the track as a whole by jacking up therail, the wedge 21 may be inserted between the surface 25 and railflange 10 as explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. The form ofrail retaining device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is preferred for the reasonthat the spring 20, bearing on the rail, effectively retards railcreeping. A coiled spring may be substituted for spring 20.

In'Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a plate 11 having formed thereon or fixedthereto at opposite sides of the rail base, a shoulder 30 with hookflange 31 and base 32. The shoulder 30, 31 may be integral with theplate in which case the base 32 may be dispensed with.

The shoulder 30 is provided with a hori- Zontally disposed aperture 33through which a spike or other wedge member 34 may be inserted asshownin Fig. 6. A rail retaining device is intended to be used inconnection with the shoulder 30 and flange 31. The rail retaining devicemay be in the form of a rigid member such as shown in Figs. 2 and 4heretofore described or may be made of spring metal as is the railretaining device shown in Fig. 8. Regardless of the precise form of railretaining device which'may be adopted for use with the plate of Figs. 5and 6, the normal connection between rail and plate will be a non-fixedor yielding one to accommoadte wave motion of the rail without injury tothe track, and when it is desired to establish a rigid connectionbetween rail and plate for the purpose of raising the track by jackingup the rail, then a spike or wedge 34 is inserted through the aperture33, the end of the wedge bearing on the rail flange 10 and the head ofthe spike or wedge bearing on the plate 11 as shown in Fig. 6.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the plate 11 has been provided with a shoulder 35formed with a hook flange 36, and a base 37, fixedly secured to theplate 11. The hook flange 36 is of less width than the shoulder 35 andbase 37 and at the sideof said member 36 the shoulder 35 extendsupwardly to form an ear indicated at 38. The ear 38 is provide with anaperture 39 through which a spike or wedge member 40 may be insertedwhen a rigid connection of rail to plate is desired.

The rail retaining device shown in this modification is a strip ofspring metal bent to provide a rail bearing arm 41, a plate bearing arm42 and an intermediate curved portion 43 joined to the plate bearing armby a sharply curved member 44 which bears against the flange 36. Thisretaining device provides the normal yielding connectionbetween rail andplate which is desirable for accommodating the wave motion of the rail.WVhen it is desired to convert this yielding connection into a rigidone, the spike or wedge 40 is inserted through the apertured car 38,with its end bearing on the rail flange 10 and its head bearing ontheplate 11. The plate 11 may be provided with a rail abutting shoulder 45if desired.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing fromthe scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exactform shown and described except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim- 1. In a railway tie plate, the combination of rail retainingmeans for normally nonfixedly holding a rail on the plate and means forrigidly holding the rail and plate together.

2. A railway tie plate having a transversely extending shoulder at eachside of its rail bearing surface, a rail retaining device in engagementwith said shoulder for normally non-fixedly holding the rail on theplate, and removable means for rigidly holding the plate and railtogether.

3. A railway tie plate having atransversely extending shoulder at eachside of its rail bearing surface, a rail retaining device in engagementwith said shoulder for normally non-fixedly holding the rail on theplate, and removable means associated with said shoulder for rigidlyholding the plate and rail together.

4. A railway tie plate provided at each side of its rail bearing surfacewith an apertured shoulder extending transversely of the plate andparallel to the rail edge, a rail retaining device mounted on saidshoulder for yieldingly connecting the rail to the plate and a removablewedge member adapted to be inserted through said apertured shoulder forri idly holding the rail and plate together.

5. A railway tie plate provided on its rail bearing surface with atransversely extending rail abutting shoulder at each side of the railseat, a flange formed on the shoulder, an apertured ear extendingupwardly from the shoulder adjacent the flange, a rail retaining devicemounted on the flange and a wedge member extending through saidapertured ear in engagement with the rail flange and the top of theplate.

6. A railway tie plate provided at each side of its rail bearing surfacewith a trans versely extending shoulder, a flange formed on the upperpart of said shoulder,a rail retaining device mounted on said flangedshoulder for non-fixedly holding the rail on the plate, and removablemeans between the rail retaining device and the rail flange for rigidlyholding the rail and plate together.

7 A railway tie plate provided at each side of its rail bearing surfacewith a transversely extending shoulder, a flange formed on the upperpart of said shoulder, a rail retaining device mounted on said flangedshoulder for non-fixedly holding the rail on the plate, said railretaining device having an arm overhanging and spaced from the railflange, and a wedge adapted for insertion be tween the overhanging armand the rail flange.

8. A railway tie plate provided at each side of its rail bearing surfacewith a transversely extending shoulder, a flange formed on the upperpart of said shoulder, a rail retaining device mounted on said flangedshoulder for non-fixedly holding the rail on the plate, said railretaining device having an arm overhanging and spaced from the railflange, a spring between the arm and the rail flange, and a wedgeadapted for insertion between the overhanging arm and the rail flange.

In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix mysignature, this 16th day of May, 1931.

GEORGE T. WILLARD.

